merry christmas, everybody. u.p.s. says thousands of packages won't make it to their destinations in time. borders is saying that bankers stole incrypted bank pin numbers. and people vow to go all the way to the supreme court to stop same sex marriage. and santa shows off his water skiing skills. good morning on this christmas day. today won't be so merry for those who didn't get their packages on time. leading some to call ups the

grinch that stole christmas. the company has apologized, though, issuing a statement in part saying, "the volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity of our network as demand was much greater than the forecast." it's not clear how many deliveries are affected. but u.p.s. says it's a small percentage. drivers do not work on christmas. so that means most packages have to be delivered tomorrow. the company says they'll have additional employees tonight to prep the shipments. customers are taking it to u.p.s.' facebook page. some are calling it an epic fail. others disappointing, even more are calling it fraud, in fact. also more fallout in the wake of target stores massive data breech. reuters reports target hackers stole incrypted bank pins. a major executive says there is a fear the thieves could crack codes and make fraudulent withdrawals. target pushed back, though, on

this report saying to date there is no evidence that unincrypted pin data has been compromised. target says financial institutions haven't seen any evidence. the data heist compromises many as 40 million debit and credit card accounts. it is the second largest credit card breech in u.s. history. the justice department and secret service are investigating. >> now to new details in the obamacare saga. the top story this year by the associated press. there is more time to sign up for coverage beginning january 1st. it is only for people who try to enroll on healthcare.gov. they should call the marketplace call center. their request will be considered on a case by case basis. the midnight deadline for january 1st coverage has come

and gone. mean while, officials say healthcare.gov solved more than two million visits on monday. moving now to utah with another court defeat for same sex marriage. the state attorney general plans to seek an appeal with the supreme court as early as tomorrow. this after a federal appeals court refused yet again to stop same sex marriage in the state. the attorney general's office aadvised county clerks they could be held in contempt to fail to issue marriage licenses. a voter approved ban on same sex marriage was found unconstitutional. it made utah along with washington, d.c. the 18th state to recognize same sex marriages. as of last night, more than 300,000 people from michigan to maine were still without power following the storm's over the weekend. and weather is making it difficult and dangerous for

others to get where they're going. john yang reports. >> reporter: icy roads made day before christmas travel treacherous in the northeast. near buffalo, new york, a tractor-trailer flipped over snarling traffic. in northern ohio, a morning pileup involving more than 25 vehicles closed interstate 90, a mathor east-west link for much of this busy travel day. with temperatures forecast to stay below freezing for the rest of the week, dangerous travel conditions are likely to persist. in maine, ice brought down tree limb ands power lines. crews are working around the clock. >> 17 on, seven off. i go home at 6:00 at night, i'm back at 1:00 in the morning. >> they're expected to be back to work the rest of the year as plunging temperatures threat tone make things worse. here in michigan more than 200,000 homes and businesses have been without power for three straight days. despite crews coming from 11 states and the district of

columbia to help, there are still neighborhoods like this one that have yet to be touched. many families are waiting it out in packed hotels if they can find rooms. >> survive the storm. >> reporter: the hampton inn is a gathering spot for displaced families like george and marianne and their dog shep. so this is where you're going to spend christmas. >> yep. we spent christmas and our anniversary here yesterday. 23 years. we got to spend it in a motel. >> reporter: charlie's family is making the best of it. >> everyone is having a tough time. we still don't have power. but we don't care, we're together! >> reporter: grateful to have some place warm to stay even if it's not home. john yang, nbc news, east lansing, michigan. >> dylan drier is here to sort all this out. christmas day forecast, lots of problems it seems still. >> it's going to stay cold. the winds are going to pick up in michigan, too. we could see gusts 25 miles per hour.

so all of the tree branches coated in ice we could see a few more of those snapping across that area through the day to day. so unfortunately, we're not getting much help. we're also looking at more snow through the great lakes region, especially in the eastern partsst witneparts of wisconsin and michigan. we have winter weather advisories in effect not so much becausest snow, because we're not looking at that much snow. but because of the wind, combined with the snow and it just makes visibility very poor. you can see we have some snow falling still across northern parts of south dakota. we also have some snow moving out of wisconsin and eventually moving into michigan again today. we could end up with three to six inches, especially in that brighter white area through wisconsin and western michigan. elsewhere, one to three inches. again, it's the wind that's going to make poor visibility. also across new england as we go into tonight and tomorrow morning. we will see perhaps one to three inches of snow. then it quickly changes over to rain as temperatures get back

above freezing as we head into tomorrow afternoon after what's been a pretty mild day. we went into the couple days of really cold weather. now we warm up again by the end of the week. >> we're on this roller coaster. >> i know. >> now let's get the latest in sports. will aaron rodgers take the bill following his collarbone injury? he told the green bay press gazette that his decision will come thursday and it depends on whether he is medically in the clear. tony romo is still recoup rating from a back injury in his game against the redskins. an anonymous source said that he received an epidural. fans should not rule out the qb yet. he is still able to play. we'll see. missouri's football players are more excited than most about their college bowl swag. while cotton bowl labelled clothing was a hit, that was nothing compared to when they got a glimpse of that right there. some apple swag. look at the reaction.

ipads have an extreme effect on these guys. the joys of technology. the world it up xad yum in brazil, they continue to cause more problems after five people died building the 12 stadiums. the national stadium and brazil made it rain on fans over the weekend, literally. the leaky roof comes less than eight months after the stadium was completed. paul pierce has been fined $15,000 for a hard foul on pacers point guard george hill during monday's game. the referee said that pierce made excessive and unnecessary contact. the nfl gets thanks giving that means the nba gets christmas. first up, the bulls will be in nyc to play the nets followed by the oklahoma city thunder. also in the big april toll play the knicks. the big game today will be a matchup of miami heat and the lakers in l.a. and you can round out your christmas evening with a texas matchup of rockets and spurs

followed by the l.a. clippers an warriors. apparently santa is just as athletic as some of our best athletes. here's proof that santa hitting the sufrn in florida. and in d.c., every member of santa's gift building and delivery team strapped on some skis, water skis, that is, for the 28th annual ski on the potomac river. the water was nice and warm for the north pollers. a balmy 42 degrees. ♪ jingle bells jingle bell rock ♪ >> and all of the wisconsin teams got together to wish fans happy poll days. they showed off their badger pride with serious dance moves. >> a critical repair to the international space station, going to tell you about that. and michelle obama gets into the santa tracking fun. plus, excitement at st. peter's

as pope frances leads his first service at the vatican. >> i'm major stephen meadows from kabul, afghanistan, i'd like to wish all my family and friends merry christmas and happy new year. i look forward to seeing everybody in 2014. retinol corr. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. take skincare to the next level with new roc® multi correxion® 5 in 1, proven to hydrate dryness, illuminate dullness, lift sagging, diminish the look of dark spots, and smooth the appearance of wrinkles. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. stick with innovatio stick with innovation. andstick with power.rance of wrinkles. stick with technology. get the new flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare. the energy in one gallon of gas

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we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

i'd like to wish my fiancee and family and friends a merry christmasment i' christmas. i'll see you soon. >> two rockets landed on the ground of the u.s. embassy in kabul. a well placed source within the embassy tells nbc news there are no casualties or damage. the u.n. voted to send thousands of peacekeepers into sudan as violence continues in the world's newest country. it took more than seven hours for two astronauts to successfully replace a faulty ammonia pump out site the

internass ainte international space station on tuesday. it should be up and running by this weekend. the price of stamps is going up yet again. starting january 26th, a first class stamp will cost you 49 cents. that's a three cent inkraes. the higher price is the result of severe decreases in mail volume over the past five years. the postal service says they lost $5 billion in the last fiscal year. this is a story of the day. a trash sorting worker at a san francisco recycling facility got a surprise when he saw an puppy come down the conveyor belt. the poodle survived being hauled by a garbage truck, dumped into a pile, scooped up by a tractor and loaded on to a shaker before being plunged nine feet on to the sorting belt. there he is. the vet said she is expected to make a full recover roy. vacationing in hawaii,

michelle obama got into the christmas spirit answering phone calls about santa's flight which is being tracked by norad. she answer questions about santa's location. the tracking of santa's journey has been a christmas tradition since 1955. and taking a break from christmas eve preparations, santa traded boots for flippers as he went for a scuba dive in the florida keys. he has work to do. pope frances is makes his first chris mazz as leader of the catholic church. thousands of people are expected to pack st. peter's square today. the pontiff celebrated his first mass last night. >> reporter: midnight masses in the vatican. didn't take long for pope

frances. approaching the statue of baby jesus in the manger himself instead of an aide doing it and keeping with the theme of humility. >> translator: god loves us. he gave us his son to be light in our darkness. >> reporter: the traditional christmas lesson of light and love from the most untraditional pope. in just nine months, pope frances has shown the world. >> his message of hope and love translates into every language. he's humble. >> reporter: the leader of the catholics, he still came across as a friendly grandfather, reaching out to all especially children, the poor and the abandoned and afflicted. opening the doors for the church. on gay priests, he said, who am toy judge. on women in the church, he said they are essential. a change in catholic dogma or just a change in style?

>> there is certainly a style change which is simplicity. but he's not somebody who's going to be throwing out doctrine. >> reporter: his message to the church though is harsher. clean up your act on corruption and abusive priests. >> if you're going to teach as a church, you ought to be able to give an example of honesty. >> reporter: instead of the palace, he is living in a two room apartment. which he left yesterday to meet with pope benedict in his retirement home. he said pray for me. but tonight it was pope frances in the splendor of the basilica leading the catholic world in prayer. former new york governor elliott spitzer and his wife are

ending their two decade marriage. they've been living apart for months. they issued a statement saying "we regret that our marital relationship has come to an end and we have agreed to not make any other public statement on this subject." spitzer his wife stood by his side in 2008 after admitting he paid for sex with prostitutes. the daughter of new york city mayor-elect has personal struggles. she says she spent years battling substance abuse and depression. >> removing substances from my life has opened so many doors for me. i was actually able to participate in my dad's campaign. getting sober is always a positive thing. and it's not easy. by no means is it easy. it's the hardest thing i've ever done. but it's so worth it.

>> bill de blasio say they are so proud of her and love her deeply. hillary clinton said that bill would match every tax deductible donation to the clinton foundation between now and december 31st. saying, "we have big plans for 2014." i wonder what that is. the former secretary of state also tweeting merry christmas to her followers adding in part, "looking forward to 2014. so much to do." well, 2014 is whether clinton is slated to make an announcement on 2016. manufacture us are probably watching it's a wonderful life. but did you know the fbi saw it as communist propaganda when released in '49. newly released documents show the feds said it represents a rebel obvious attempt to discredit bankers by casting a

scrooge type so that he would be most hated man in the picture. that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. interesting facts there. merry christmas, lynn. >> good morning. >> we round out the year and take a look back and find out what was the most important political moment of 2013. maybe the biggest political wonder. perhaps they're both one in the same? for you at least. >> well, i think this broken promise on obamacare. oeb said if you like your policy, nothing the change. >> right. you can keep it. >> yes. for a lot of people it has changed. >> i want you to take on this. what would you say is the biggest success story of 2013?

>> well, the economy and, you know, obama complains sometimes he doesn't get enough credit when things go right. the 2012 campaign that romney hit him over the head all the time about, employment when it was over 8%. it's been under that all year. we're ending the year with a lower rate than last year. the economy and stock market is doing better than when it started. >> thank you for your views on what made news on 2013. thanks so much. you have a great christmas. >> you, too. thank you. >> just ahead, how uso is making a difference this christmas for americans who are very far from home. you've tried different ways to get rid of it... but they all just hit a dead end. time to say farewell to the smell with tide washing machine cleaner.

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the uso is busy spreading holiday cheer to americans in uniform who can't make it home for christmas with their families. right now there are 47,000 soldiers and marines in afghanistan. this may be the last year for this christmas tradition. we have a report from inside afghanistan. >> reporter: amid the mountains of eastern afghanistan. santa claus is already coming to town. it's the uso's annual christmas cowboy sporting gifts and good

cheer. it's led by santa whore seherse. >> i love these guys. they need a little piece of home and i love providing it to them. >> volunteers pitch in on behalf of fellow soldiers. >> it's just creating a smile and putting it on someone else's face. >> they're the only sant why's helpers carrying side arms, all gifts are donated like flat screen tvs and the latest x box. even a bicycle is assembled by committee. >> you don't have any parts left over, do you? >> i don't think we do. >> i always did. >> the gifts are tossed on to helicopters for delivery. this time to base. the soldiers here are preparing for a mission outside the wire. only days before christmas. the uso invasion provides a welcomed break from the war. even seasoned combat veterans get a lift. >> i like candy every once in a while. >> the uso convoy delivers the holiday packages to the most

isolated and dangerous bases in afghanistan. where the only outside contact might be the enemy. but as the war winds down, these christmas convoys will come to an end. that's bittersweet for regina wages. >> i've been out here serving these guys since 2009. and to think that -- i mean i'm glad they're going home. but for me, it's kind of sad. >> and while war has a way of rapidly turning young soldiers into men, these brief moments allow them to be kids again. >> man, you guys will do anything. receiving what they deem the most precious gift of all. >> merry christmas! >> such a great program that brings smiles to their faces. a lot of them though it's definitely work over there. not the case as much as here. >> if only we could have snow.

make it feel more like christmas there. >> 20 in new york. it is cold out there. feeling like christmas. wind chills are down to the single digits across the eastern half of the country. lighter snow showers to minneapolis and chicago. across the northeast, we should be in 20s. >> sounds good. thank you. this is "first look" on msnbc. have a great christmas, everyone.

system overload. ups says thousands of holiday packages won't make it to their destinations in time for christmas. more fallout from target's massive data breech. utah's attorney general vows to go all the way to the supreme court to stop same-sex marriage. plus, one adorable puppy's harrowing ordeal. plus, a historic christmas at the vatican and santa shows off his water skiing skills. good morning on this christmas day. today won't be so